Fluid-controlling valve

ABSTRACT

An electromagnetically controlled valve, wherein the closuremember is connected with the movable core of the controlling electromagnet in a simple and smooth manner by means of a coupling the members of which are rigid respectively with the core and with the closure-member, one of said members housing with a clearance the other member and defining with the latter a space inside which an O-ring is held with an axial clearance. Said O-ring fitted in an annular groove extending outwardly of the housing transmits the motion of the core to the closuremember so as to raise it off its seat.

United States Patent Stampfli [54] F LUID-CONTROLLING VALVE HaraldStampfli, Petit-Saconnex, Switzerland [72] inventor:

[73] Assignee: Lucifer S.A., Carouge-Geneva, Switzerland [22] Filed:March 20, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 21,336

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data April 15, 1969 Switzerland..163/70 Jan. 8, 1970 Switzerland ..164/70 [52] U.S. Cl ..251/129,251/86, 251/77 [51] Int. Cl ..Fl6k 31/06 [58] Field of Search ..251/129,77, 84, 85, 86, 87, 251/88 [451 June 20, 1972 [56] References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 2,321,095 6/1943 Mantz ....251/77 X 2,114,9614/1938, Gille ....25l/77 X Bartlett ....25l/88 Johnson et a1. ..251/77Primary Examiner-Arnold Rosenthal Attorney-Emory L. Grotf and Emory L.Groff, Jr.

[ ABSTRACT An electromagnetically controlled valve, wherein theclosuremember is connected with the movable core of the controllingelectromagnet in a simple and smooth manner by means of a coupling themembers of which are rigid respectively with the core and with theclosure-member, one of said members housing with a clearance the othermember and defining with the latter a space inside which an O-ring isheld with an axial clearance. Said O-ring fitted in an annular grooveextendingoutwardly of the housing transmits the motion of the core tothe closure-member so as to raise it off its seat.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEnJu-20 m2 3 671 ,009

sum 2 or 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY FLUID-CONTROLLING VALVE The presentinvention has for its object an electromagnetically controlledfluid-controlling valve of the type including a movable closure-memberconnected with a movable part of the controlling electromagnetic means,wherein the connection between the closure-member and said movable partis obtained in a very simple manner. Furthermore, said connectionprovides a damped drive together with a great resistance to wear.

According to the invention, the closure-member as well as the movablepart carry respectively the two members of a coupling one of saidmembers being provided with a housing in which the cooperating member isintroduced with a clearance, said members defining between them anannular chamber enclosing an O-ring, the outer diameter of which islarger than the input diameter of the housing while its inner diameteris smaller than the diameter of a bulging portion of the member fittedin said housing.

The accompanying drawings illustrate diagrammatically and by way ofexamples two embodiments of such an improved valve. ln said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the second embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates on a larger scale a detail of FIG. 2.

The fluid-handling valve illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a body 1 inwhich a fluid input chamber 2 and a fluid output chamber 3 are formed,both chambers being provided with tappings throughwhich they may beconnected respectively with a fluid-feeding channel and with a fluidoutput channel.

The upper section of said valve carries a cover 4 secured to the body 1by means of bolts 5, fluidtightness being ensured by an O-ring packing 6inserted in an annular groove 7 formed in the upper edge of the valvebody.

The cover 4 carries a tubular cylinder 8 made of non-ferromagneticmaterial, in which may slide a movable ferromagnetic cylindrical core 9.The lower end of said core includes'an extension 9a terminating in ahead 10 engaging a housing 11 formed in theclosure-member l2 and heldwith a clearance in said housing by an O-ring l3 fitted in an annulargroove 14 formed in the closure-member.

It is apparent that the outer diameter of said O-ring '13 is larger thanthe diameter of the input opening of said housing 11, whereas the innerdiameter of said Oring is smaller than the diameter of the head10'constituted by a bulge on the terminal section of the core 9.

The actual closure-member 12 is subjected to the action of a spring 16urging it away from the cover 4 and onto the seat 17 provided for theclosure-member. Said spring is inserted in a frustoconical chamberformed on the underside of the cover 4. It surrounds the lower end ofthe movable core 9 and also the body of the closure-member 12 whichforms a bearing for said spring.

The tubular cylinder 8 is surrounded by an electromagnetic winding 18 ofa cylindrical shape enclosed in a cap 19.

The closure-member 12 is provided with an annular packing 24 constitutedby a washer made of elastomer. The inner and outer edges of said washerare fitted in corresponding grooves 25 and 26 formed in the lateralsurfaces of a broad annular recess 27 cut within the bottom of theclosure-member 12.

The medial section of the annular packing 24 registers with the seat 17'onto which it is urged when the valve is closed.

A connecting port 29 formed in the annular flange of the closure-member12 opens into said recess 27 so as to afford a passage for the fluid outof the input chamber 2 towards the tion produced by the current flowingthrough the winding 18, the first fraction of the travel of said core isexecuted freely without the closure-member 12 being carried along.Consequently, the core 9 assumes a predetermined speed and at the momentat which the head 10 engages the O-ring l3, kinetic energy alreadystored in the core during the first fraction of its travel cooperates inensuring a speedy release of the closure-member, whereby the valve isopened. By reason of the elasticity of the O-n'ng, the closure-member 12is carried along without any harsh shock, which reduces considerably thestraining of the different parts.

The second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 comprises also a body 1 withinput and output chambers 2 and 3, and a cover 4 secured to the body bybolts 5. The cover 4 carries again a tubular cylinder 8 made ofnon-ferromagnetic material and inside which may slide a cylindricalferromagnetic core 9. Said core may beshifted against the action of areturn spring 16 by the magnetic field produced by the energization ofthe winding 18. The core 9 includes at its lower end a tubular extension30 forming a housing 31 adapted to be engaged by the head 32 of anextension 32a of the actual closure-member 33, the periphery of which isconnected by an annular diaphragm 34 with the body 1 of the valve. Theouter edge of said diaphragm 34 is clamped betweenthe body 1 and thecover 4 and ensures thus fluidtightness between said two parts. Theclosuremember is also provided with an annular fluidtight packing 35adapted to engage the seat 17 of the valve body 1.

The valve illustrated is of the well-known type controlled by anelectromagnetically assisted auxiliary mechanism. As soon as such avalve handles a fluid subjected to a sufficient pressure, the movementsof the flap are defined chiefly by the differences in pressure betweenthe two sides of the diaphragm 34 and/or of the actual closure-member.To this end, the space extending between the diaphragm 34 and the cover4 communicates with the input chamber 2 through a gauged passage 36. Thefluid lying above the diaphragm 34 may be exhausted as provided by aradial bore 37 passing through the tubularextension 30 and by an axialbore 38 in the closuremember 33 whenever the upper opening of the axialbore 38 is uncovered by the packing 39 carried by the core 9 andsubjected to the pressure of a spring 40.

' When the pressure of the fluid to be controlled is too "low for it tocontrol the movements of the closure-member 33, said movements areobtained through a direct action of the core 9 on the closure-member. Tothis end, the core 9 and closuremember 33 are coupled by means of anO-ring 13 as illustrated with further detail in FIG. 3. Said O-ring' 13is housed partly in a groove 41 formed in the extension 30. The outlineof said groove is designed in a manner such that, for raising theclosure-member 33, the driving force is transmitted from the core 9 tothe closure-member solely by the compressed O-n'ng without any shearingof said ring. For this reason, as shown cross-sectionally, the groove 41includes an oblique side wall 42 and a flat horizontal lower wall 43,said walls acting together on the cooperating portion of the O-ring 13in a manner such that the combined pressures exertedby said walls of thegroove produce a resultant f extending substantially in a directionperpendicular to the wall 44 on the closure-member 33. Furthermore, saidwall 44 of a generally frustoconical shape acting as a'bearing surfacehas a slope such that is exerts on each portion of the O-ring areaction, the

recess 27 to the rear of the packing 24, whereby a balance is I obtainedbetween the pressures exertedon the two sides of said packing 24 whenthe valve is in its open condition. A filter 28 located round the seat17 in the input chamber prevents any impurities from clogging saidconnecting port 29.

As illustrated, when the closure-member 12 is on its seat, the head 10of the electromagnetic core rests on the bottom of the housing 11 and isspaced with reference to the O-ring 13. When the core 9 is shiftedupwardly by the magnetic attracdirection of which is exactly opposed tothe resultant f produced by the associated walls 42 and 43.

It should be noted that the height h separating the bearing wall 44 fromthe collar 45 provided on the head 32 of the closure-member 33 issufficient for it to be possible for the core 9 to execute an axialmovement with reference to the closuremember 33.

The axial clearance thus obtained for the O-ring is essential since itallows a shifting of the packing 39 in order to uncover the bore 38 inthe closure-member when the core 9 has been attracted by the magneticfield produced by the winding 18.

The cross-section of the groove 41 is at least equal to thecross-section of the O-ring, and consequently, when the closure-memberis introduced into the housing 31 of the core 9, the O-ring is urgedback into said groove.

ln contradistinction, the closure-member 33 cannot be separated from thetubular extension 30 of the core otherwise than by destroying the O-ring13 by an energetic tractional stress adapted to separate the two partsconsidered.

lclaim:

1. ln a fluid-controlling valve comprising a body provided with an inputchamber and an output chamber, a closuremember adapted to be shiftedaxially between a position closing the output chamber with reference tothe input chamber and a position allowing said chambers to communicatewith each other, an electromagnet including a movable part controlledthereby, coaxial extensions on said movable part and on saidclosure-member, said coaxial extensions facing each other and fomiingparts of a coupling, one of which is provided with a housing ofgenerally cylindrical shape and open at one end into which the other oneprovided with an enlarged head at its free end fits with a clearance,said housing having an annular groove therein, an O-Ring fitted in saidgroove, the outer diameter of said O-Ring being larger than the diameterof the opening of the housing, the inner diameter of said O- Ring beingsmaller than the diameter of said enlarged head, the annular spacebetween said coaxial extensions in the area of said groove being largerthan the volume of said O-Ring, thus providing an axial clearancebetween the parts of said coupling, the cross-section of the annulargroove being at least as large as that of the O-Ring and the shape ofsaid groove being such that when one part of the coupling is about to becarried along by the other one, the resultant of the forces exerted bythe walls of said groove on the O-Ring is directed obliquely withreference to the axis of the O-Ring while the other part of saidcoupling is provided with a bearing surface for said O-Ring, the generalshape of which is oblique so as to exert 0n the O-Ring a force opposingthat resultant force.

1. In a fluid-controlling valve comprising a body provided with an inputchamber and an output chamber, a closure-member adapted to be shiftedaxially between a position closing the output chamber with reference tothe input chamber and a position allowing said chambers to communicatewith each other, an electromagnet including a movable part controlledthereby, coaxial extensions on said movable part and on saidclosuremember, said coaxial extensions facing each other and formingparts of a coupling, one of which is provided with a housing ofgenerally cylindrical shape and open at one end into which the other oneprovided with an enlarged head at its free end fits with a clearance,said housing having an annular groove therein, an O-Ring fitted in saidgroove, the outer diameter of said ORing being larger than the diameterof the opening of the housing, the inner diameter of said O-Ring beingsmaller than the diameter of said enlarged head, the annular spacebetween said coaxial extensions in the area of said groove being largerthan the volume of said O-Ring, thus providing an axial clearancebetween the parts of said coupling, the cross-section of the annulargroove being at least as large as that of the O-Ring and the shape ofsaid groove being such that when one part of the coupling is about to becarried along by the other one, the resultant of the forces exerted bythe walls of said groove on the O-Ring is directed obliquely withreference to the axis of the O-Ring while the other part of saidcoupling is provided with a bearing surface for said O-Ring, the generalshape of which is oblique so as to exert on the O-Ring a force opposingthat resultant force.